The Arts · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Songs of Country: First Nations Music and Folk Songs

Active learning turns cultural stories into lived experience, letting students feel the pulse of First Nations music through their voices, bodies, and instruments. When children sing, play, and move together, they absorb rhythms and meanings that stay with them long after the lesson ends.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9AMU2C01
• AC9AMU2R01

• 15–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Experiential Learning
• 30 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Folk Song Rehearsal

Teach a simple Australian folk song like 'Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree' line by line, adding actions for verses. Practice chorus twice with claps on beats. Perform for each other, noting rhythm changes.

What sounds does a didgeridoo make, and how is it different from other instruments you know?

Facilitation Tip

During Whole Class: Folk Song Rehearsal, model phrasing and dynamics first, then invite students to echo each line before combining into the full song.

What to look for

Ask students to hold up a finger for 'high pitch' or two fingers for 'low pitch' as you play short sound clips from different instruments, including the didgeridoo. Then, ask: 'Which instrument made the lowest sound?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Experiential Learning
• 25 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Singing Games Circle

Form circles to play a First Nations-inspired singing game like 'Boom Chicka Boom,' passing claps and stamps. Rotate leaders to vary tempo. Discuss how movements match melody.

How do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander songs help communities remember important stories about Country?

Facilitation Tip

In Small Groups: Singing Games Circle, demonstrate the game twice slowly, then step back to let groups problem-solve the actions themselves.

What to look for

Provide students with a card asking: 'Name one instrument you heard today and describe its sound.' Also ask: 'How did one of the songs make your body feel?' Students can draw or write their answers.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Experiential Learning
• 20 min · Pairs

Pairs: Didgeridoo Sound Mimicry

Partners hum and vocalize didgeridoo drones using pursed lips, varying pitch and breath. Record short clips on devices. Compare to classroom instruments like recorders.

Can you listen to a First Nations song and describe how the rhythm or melody makes your body feel?

Facilitation Tip

For Pairs: Didgeridoo Sound Mimicry, provide each pair with a single rubber tube or straw to focus their attention on pitch matching rather than instrument quality.

What to look for

After learning a simple folk song with actions, ask: 'How did singing and moving together help us remember the song? What story or feeling did our song share?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Experiential Learning
• 15 min · Individual

Individual: Feeling Response Dance

Play a First Nations song; students move freely to show how rhythm feels in their body. Draw or label movements afterward. Share one word describing the sensation.

What sounds does a didgeridoo make, and how is it different from other instruments you know?

Facilitation Tip

During Individual: Feeling Response Dance, give students one minute of free movement before asking them to describe their sensations in a whisper to a partner.

What to look for

Ask students to hold up a finger for 'high pitch' or two fingers for 'low pitch' as you play short sound clips from different instruments, including the didgeridoo. Then, ask: 'Which instrument made the lowest sound?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should approach this topic as both a cultural experience and a sensory exploration. Begin with songs that connect to familiar routines so students feel safe experimenting with pitch and rhythm. Avoid overemphasizing the didgeridoo; instead, let students discover the range of sounds First Nations cultures use. Research shows that embodied learning—combining movement, rhythm, and storytelling—builds stronger memory and empathy than passive listening alone.

By the end of the lessons, students confidently perform a folk song with actions, identify instruments by sound, and describe how music makes their bodies feel. They also begin to explain how songs carry stories about Country and community.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Pairs: Didgeridoo Sound Mimicry, some students may assume all First Nations music uses the didgeridoo.

  Use the rubber tubes or straws to mimic the drone, then immediately switch to clapsticks or voice only. Ask students to compare the two sounds and name the instruments they hear.

• After Whole Class: Folk Song Rehearsal, students may think traditional songs only entertain with no deeper purpose.

  Pause after the performance and ask, 'What story did this song tell about Country or community?' Use the song’s lyrics and actions to guide their response.

• During Individual: Feeling Response Dance, students may not connect rhythm and melody to physical sensations.

  Before movement, ask students to close their eyes and listen to a short clip of the folk song. Then, have them share one word that describes how their body wanted to move.

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Methods used in this brief

• Experiential Learning